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Micro games, very small games with few components and few rules, quick to explain and to play, are a minor trend at the moment. They don’t usually keep you entertained for the whole evening, but they are nice to play a round or three while you wait for pretty much anything. Even in a waiting room or on a train, because they’re very portable. Empire Engine is a micro game by Alderac where everything is about cogs and wheels. The whole planet the game is set on is made from cogs and wheels.

“The world is getting smaller” is a quote that gets thrown around a lot these days. The people saying it must have missed the implications of being in a really small world. As in: a really Small World. It’s not a very peaceful place.And even escaping underground for lack of space, does not bring you peace, because Small World Underground is just as ruthless as the original.

i9n, or "Information" is a deduction game that uses punch cards to give new, hidden information during the game. It also adds some strategy and a bit of luck to the mix, making it a very fun game that certainly won’t be the last one to employ this new mechanic.

Everywhere you look lately, the news are about the economy. It’s boring , like a roller coaster you’re not allowed to ride. Masters of Commerce allows you to experience the same roller coaster, but instead of finding a bridge when you lost everything, you can have fun going bankrupt.

The Sahara desert. Wide, open spaces. You can travel for days without meeting another soul. So why is it that, when playing Targi, there are always people standing where I want to go? Always. Every single turn. But they are complaining about the same thing, so it’s perfectly balanced.

There have been many different ideas to spice up trick-taking games over the years. Black Hat’s way to do that is to add a game board where you move your pawns when you take a trick. A lot then depends on proper timing, you want to take a trick when moving on the board is the most beneficial for you.

Games about making dresses are a tough sell. Between games about conquest, economic success and survival, tailoring just doesn’t compare. So to stand out, a game about making ballroom gowns needs to excel in other areas. Having well linked games mechanics and a new take on deck-building might do the trick for Rococo.